Kurtzmann Glass Phonograph



This article is part of the ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH, GRAMOPHONE AND TALKING MACHINE IDENTIFICATION GUIDES.
SEE ALSO: Our listings of outside horn talking machines for sale.


The Kurtzmann Piano Company, a manufacturer of pianos, was established in Buffalo, NY in 1848. By 1921 it had opened a large music store on Main Street in Buffalo, selling not only its own pianos but also Victrolas and all sorts of music trade items.

In October 1918 Louis Kurtzmann filed a patent for this unusual machine, for which the motorboard and the turntable were made of glass. Although glass horns probably of European origin had appeared in late 1890s, this machine, sold by the Kurtzmann Phonograph Company, is probably the first example of glass cabinetry in a consumer phonograph. The Kurtzmann was driven by "suspended" electric motor, and the electric current also provided power for a small lamp on top of the machine.

Most examples seem to date to around 1919-1920.


Kurtzmann phonograph
Note the spruce horn. A Kurtzmann decal has appeared on the glass of most examples.
Larger image
Kurtzmann electric phonograph

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